OWERRI — The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that Governor Hope Uzodimma remains its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections, despite a Federal High Court judgment declaring former governor Rochas Okorocha the winner of the party’s primary.

The party stated its position on Thursday in a statement issued by its State Publicity Secretary, Onwuasoanya Jones, following the ruling delivered by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The court had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish Okorocha’s name as the APC candidate for Imo West and directed Uzodimma to stop presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027.

However, the state APC maintained that Uzodimma won the party’s senatorial primary with the support of the majority of its members.

“The Party wishes to state without any confusion that His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, remains the candidate of our Party for Imo West Senatorial District, having won the primaries of our great Party with the overwhelming support of the majority of our Party members,” the statement said.

The party acknowledged the court’s intervention but said its legal department would review the judgment before deciding on its next course of action.

“The Party’s legal department shall study the outcome of a legal intervention in this matter and act accordingly,” the statement added.

The APC also urged its members and supporters across Imo State to remain focused and committed to the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections, despite the disagreement over the senatorial ticket.

The dispute followed Okorocha’s suit challenging the recognition of Uzodimma as the APC’s candidate for Imo West. In its ruling, the court held that evidence presented before it established that Okorocha won the party’s primary conducted on May 18, 2026.

The conflicting positions of the court and the state APC have left the party’s Imo West candidacy at the center of a legal and political dispute ahead of the 2027 general elections. The APC’s next steps will depend on its review of the judgment and any subsequent legal proceedings.